A Healthy Dose of Maturity

We just got back from Seoul (finally, travel that didn’t involve work/research in any way shape or form which was a welcome break), and it just might be possible that I get to stay on the ground long enough to actually be in front of my laptop (yay!).

While I’m hammering out a new article, let me answer an FAQ:

When does a person use a decanter?

Normally, wine professionals use a decanter (the curvy glass that looks like a pitcher) to transfer a “mature” or “vintage” red wine (about 10 years or older), with the purpose of aerating the wine (allowing air to interact with the wine to bring out its more subtle characteristics and nuances) and minimizing sediments (dry solids left behind by wine after it has sat in a bottle for a significant amount of time). Winos also prefer to do this to aerate powerful yet younger red wines (for a similar purpose).

How does a person properly decant a wine? Here’s a little Infographic to illustrate:

If a person does this at home, he can eliminate the formalities with the guest interaction, but the key element here is to minimize the movement of the bottle as much as possible.